Illinois football will open Big Ten Conference play at Ohio State in 2026.
The dates for the 2026 Big Ten Conference season were released Tuesday with Illinois having four home games and five road contests. The Fighting Illini welcome Purdue (Oct. 3), Oregon (Oct. 24), Nebraska (Nov. 7) and Iowa (Nov. 21) to Gies Memorial Stadium.
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Road games for the Illini include Ohio State (Sept. 26), Michigan State (Oct. 10), Maryland (Oct. 31), UCLA (Nov. 14) and Northwestern (Nov. 28).
Illinois is coming off a 9-4 season, capping it with a thrilling two-point win over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. The 2026 campaign kicks off with UAB coming to Gies Memorial Stadium on Sept. 5.
2026 Illinois football schedule
Here is the complete Illinois football schedule for the 2026 season.
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Sept. 19 — vs. Southern Illinois
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Sept. 26 — at Ohio State
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Oct. 10 — at Michigan State
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Nov. 28 — at Northwestern
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois football schedule 2026: Big Ten schedule
